Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tracking and monitoring and, more particularly, to a system and method for position determination using low earth orbit satellites.
Introduction
Tracking mobile assets represents a growing enterprise as companies seek increased visibility into the status of movable assets (e.g., trailers, containers, etc.). Visibility into the status of movable assets can be gained through mobile terminals (MTs) that are affixed to the assets. These MTs can be designed to generate position information that can be used to update status reports that are provided to customer representatives.
In one conventional system, a MT is designed to collect observation data and forward the observation data to a central location. Position calculations can then be performed at the central location rather than at the MT. Since the MT need only be active long enough to gather the observation data, the MT experiences minimal battery drain. In providing a service that can be applied globally, what is needed is a system that can operate with a low earth orbit satellite communication network.